Monday, March 2, 2015

march 02

The highly anticipated pirate adventure, Black Sails, centers on the tales of Captain Flint and his men and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island.” Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver. Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality. --amazon--

In case you haven't heard by now, "Boyhood"... brings the story of Mason, a 6 yr. old boy somewhere in Texas, and his family: he's got a sister 2 years older, and his divorced-and-struggling mom. His dad lives in Alaska (although eventually returns to Texas). As the next 2 1/2 hours of the movie unfolds, we get to live with these people as they grow up and deal with life's average (and not so average) struggles. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. --amazon--

ChefJon Favreau... ... leads a hilarious all-star cast including Sofía Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr. and young actor Emjay Anthony in this deliciously entertaining comedy about starting from scratch. When gifted chef Carl Casper (Favreau) suddenly quits his demanding job at a trendy LA restaurant, he's on his own to pick up the pieces of his once promising career. Finding himself in Miami, he decides to team up with his successful ex-wife (Vergara), best friend (Leguizamo) and son (Anthony) to launch a no-frills food truck business. Taking to the road, Carl reignites his passion for the kitchen and, along the way, discovers a renewed zest for life and love. --amazon--

This time the story revolves around Winter and her need for a companion. Clearwater Marine Hospital has now become a full fledged Aquarium and is attracting thousands of visitors. After a painful loss to the staff, and their only hope for a companion is healed and released, she becomes the only bottle nosed dolphin in their captivity. All the while Winter's best friend, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go on a college credited voyage at sea. --amazon--

The manners of Downton Abbey ...What goes on behind-the-scenes to get the manners of 1900s Britain exactly right on Downton Abbey? Enter the world of Edwardian manners with host Alastair Bruce, historian, expert on royal ceremony and custom, and the historical advisor to the hit drama series.... Discover the secrets of how the aristocratic set dined and dressed, how they married and made money, how they interacted with the servants (and the servants interacted with each other), and above all why they behaved as they did. Illustrated with memorable moments from Downton Abbey, the program is a treat for fans and anyone fascinated with the customs of early 1900s Britain. --amazon---

The DropBob Saginowski is a quiet kind of guy, working as bartender at a neighborhood bar in Brooklyn called Cousin Marv's. The bar is run by the titular Marv (James Gandolfini in his final role), who actually is Bob's cousin, but while the bar bears his name and he runs the place, he apparently no longer owns it, the reasons for which get revealed later. In addition to its usual business, the bar also serves as a "drop bar" for the local mob - in this case a Chechen group - one of many they use as collection points for money from their various operations, with a different bar being used each week to make it hard for anyone else to know where the money is going to be. --amazon--

Edge of tomorrow live, die, repeatAn alien race, undefeatable by any existing military unit, has launched a relentless attack on Earth, and Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) finds himself dropped into a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage is thrown into a time loop, forced to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again and again. Training alongside warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), his skills slowly evolve, and each battle moves them one step closer to defeating the enemy in this fun action thriller. --amazon--

... This film that brings WWII closest to the reality of horror more than any other film that I have seen. There is no glory here, simply a sense of despair and imminent death in more horrible ways that can be imagined. You don't live, you don't survive, you just exist in a war. That is what kept going through my mind. FURY is an experience.... --amazon--

GiverThe Giver centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all. ...The Giver is based on Lois Lowry’s beloved young adult novel of the same name, which was the winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal. --amazon--

Reagan was in the White House, the malls were filled with New Wave fashionistas and the Goldbergs were living large in the ‘80s. Documenting his hilariously combative, yet loving family with a video camera nearly as big as he is, 11-year-old geek Adam (Sean Giambrone) is witness to all kinds of insanity from his over-protective, over-the-top mom (Wendi McLendon-Covey), quick-tempered dad (Jeff Garlin), rebellious sister (Hayley Orrantia), high-strung brother (Troy Gentile) and super suave grandfather (George Segal).
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Gone girl One of the best movies of 2014, this multi-layered, wickedly brilliant film is a great adaptation of the 2012 novel. It was directed by David Fincher. He collaborated with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross again for the smoothly foreboding soundtrack. Fincher has developed a unique cinematic style, and this movie is a showcase of it. The heart of the movie is a mystery - a wife disappears from her home on the morning of her anniversary. But not only do we not know who did it, we don’t even really know what happened. The movie flips back and forth between the husband’s perspective and the wife’s, slowly unfolding its secrets like a black, poisonous flower. --amazon--

A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence. --amazon--

""From the Academy Award nominated film How to Train Your Dragon comes the next chapter in the epic trilogy. When Hiccup and Toothless discover a secret ice cave filled with hundreds of wild dragons and a mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of an epic battle to save the future of men and dragons!"" --amazon--